A 15-year-old suspected Boko Haram member arrested by troops at Ngamdu in Borno State has confessed that they planned their attacks from Jilli Market, a notorious terrorists’ hub located in the Borno-Yobe boundary area.
The suspect who gave his name as Tujjani, was arrested by troops on clearance operation yesterday morning after he and his colleagues sneaked into Ngamdu to stock up food, other logistics, ahead of a planned attack this week.
According to the suspect, the terrorists’ group was responsible for the attacks at the military base in Benisheik, where a brigadier-general was believed to be among those killed on April 9, as well as another attack at Ngamdu.
He said they usually attacked in convoys of 20 or more vehicles, explaining that Jilli was their logistics hub.
In a two minute, 16 seconds video made available by the military, the suspect said: “My name is Tujjani, I am 15 years. I was arrested today (Sunday) at Ngamdu. After our attacks in Ngamdu and Benisheik, we returned to Jilli and then, we were sent to buy food in Ngamdu.
“I was given N850, 000 to buy food items from Ngamdu. We were dropped off by our car somewhere near Damaturu. We sneaked into the city and from Damaturu, we boarded a taxi to Ngamdu and slept there.
“After sleeping at Ngamdu, I woke up this morning and couldn’t find my friends. I was searching for them when I was arrested by the Nigerian soldiers,” he said.
In the video, the suspect also narrated how the group planned to launch another attack from Jilli, adding that they were awaiting another convoy of 10 vehicles from Agamari.
“We had 20 vehicles but one got spoilt. The remaining vehicles are all in Jilli. It is Boko Haram that stays in Jilli, they are waiting for another convoy of 10 vehicles to come from Agamari and when they all converge in Jilli, they will launch an attack on the next Friday,” he claimed.
The suspect’s confession corroborated military’s and the Borno governor’s positions that Jilli market had been a stronghold for terrorists and their sympathizers.
The suspect added: “Baba Bulama is our commander that sent us to Maiduguri, so we came here to spend the night. We stayed in the bush.”
